Deflection
by xoRaining Diamondsox
Summary: [contest entry: 1st] It was all he could do, ‘cause it was never gonna go away. [kaiora] [Post KH2]


**A/N: **So I'm back with another challenge fic… and this one's for Inspire-Illuminate's contest, about the love between best friends. I had to use the line, _**"When he realized what he was thinking, he told himself, "I can't do this, it will never work out, she's my best friend"**_. The atmosphere of this fic was inspired my last one, also for a challenge, and I guess it just lingered with me… so it's canon… sorry if it seems a bit drab from other writings… I already miss writing my humour…

Ah, anywho, have fun reading!

**Summary: **It was all he could do, 'cause it was never gonna go away. (Post KH2)

**Disclaimer: **- gives it an evil-death-glare -

* * *

_Deflection_

* * *

On the beach, he lay, the sand beneath him hot and dry, quenched of the gentle spray of water that would wash up a few feet away. He could hear the distant roars of the waves crashing against the rocks on the inland, below the wood huts they had so precariously built as a summer project a few years ago.

His gentle lips curved up, as his mind played with the memory: an annoyed platinum-haired teen, complaining of having to do all the work, as another blond and his friend with gravity-defying hair would kick a ball around for several hours. A small redhead would stand and watch, offering suggestions and advice, all the while sitting alone on the dock, weaving beads and shells intricately through strings of hemp she'd found in her grandmother's sewing box. He'd recalled the time when he wanted to ask the girl about it – about her beaded jewellery – and why she was making it, but he'd soon received the answer when he'd found a hemp necklace inlaid with beads and shells in a small box as a birthday present. He hadn't been really surprised to learn that his best friend had received one, too.

He fingered it now; the colour slightly faded from the beads, the strands of once-tightly interwoven strings unravelling, and scarcely scratching his calloused palm as he held it. She had once suggested to sand or cut it as time wore on, but he refused – he wanted to keep it the way as it was given to him, the first time.

Born as an only child, he'd long favoured friends – his one best friend, he'd acquired at an early age, and it's only since recently that he could recall having ever drifted apart from him – and for such a long time, too. His other best friend didn't appear until several years later into his first friendship, and when she'd come, the island winds had ruffled his heart; he'd never felt so complete then, with the two at his side.

They were his home, and he'd searched endlessly to renconstruct the place where his heart rested.

His eyes cleared. With his hands now resting behind his head, he lay watching the sky, so vast and blue, his thoughts passing through his head as idly as the white clouds above him. He chewed on an old fishbone, the slick taste of it refreshing his memories, and suddenly, it didn't feel as if he'd ever left. Everything was still the same; everything was back in its place.

Like it'd always been.

_Nothing's changed, has it?_

Did his best friend expect it to? He, the Keyblade Master, had never dwelled on it, always assuming that everything would go back as it was, once he defeated _them_. The Heartless. The Nobodies. As the Hero, he could only hope – just _hope –_ that with their destruction would come salvation, and he wasn't disappointed, not in the least.

After all, the worlds had been restored. And he'd gotten his friends back.

_You're home._

So he was. And he never, ever, wanted it to change.

_Nope. And nothing ever will._

* * *

The rise of the morning sun over the horizon eclipsed the streets with long shadows, and Sora strolled through them quietly. His hands were in his pockets, something he hadn't done since he was very young; as he had gotten older, he wanted to make his hands useful: for climbing, for play-fighting, for holding hands, for embracing. Affection was something he'd been used to his whole life, but for the first time, he didn't feel it; or rather, something _inside_ of him didn't feel it. A strong urge to just be left alone was enshrouding Sora's mind, and where it was coming from, he wasn't really sure. He just knew that it was something he wanted.

He walked through the streets, staring at the familiar and the not-so-familiar scenery that brushed past him. New shops and new trees had been erected since his absence, making his home feel a little less than homely. In these parts, he felt just as much as a stranger as he did travelling the other worlds.

But the rest was still the same. The people were the same, too, and for that Sora was more than grateful. He didn't have to think about where he was going, or who was who, because everything just _was_.

A light wind whispered past, waking his senses, and Sora noticed that the shadows were starting to get smaller. A bit of time had passed since he'd decided to go on this stroll, alone, and re-familiarize with everything. He'd gone home the night after their arrival, a few days ago, and it had been the strangest thing to find his mom relaxed. When he'd walked through the front door, she'd embraced him, the first words out of her mouth, _"Welcome home, honey!"_, like he'd been gone away at summer camp, nothing more.

Did she know? Had she been told about his year-long absence? Or was she tricked into thinking that he wasn't, in fact, gone that long? Well, whatever had happened, he was happy with the outcome – he didn't think he'd be able to explain what had come to pass over the year… Did she even know that she had disappeared at one point? That this world had vanished? A sudden sense of worry had washed over, and he almost began to panic. Where had she gone? Was she okay? His embrace had only tightened around her, and she'd looked confused, and all Sora could say to explain it was, _"I just missed you, that's all."_

She'd never know how strong and true those words had embraced his heart.

Even now, recalling it, he was engulfed with the same kind of sadness, but he didn't know where it was coming from. In the past month, he'd never felt so… sad in his entire life; he'd never shed so many tears as he did on the final journey. It had taken its toll, and Sora could only think to believe that this was the aftermath.

He stopped where he stood. He was standing on a hill, a field of green around him, and he knew instinctively that it led to the school… he almost laughed humourlessly to himself. The school he hadn't attended in over a year. Did anyone know where he had been? What he had been doing? Could he get an _A_ for that? He seriously doubted it, but hey, he could hope, right?

A smile broke out over his features, and he felt lightened, despite the fact that he was laughing at his own stupid joke.

"Hey, Sora!"

He turned around on the spot, and there was flurry of red hair, before suddenly, he felt arms wrap around him. His heart fluttered at the touch.

"Kairi…" he said, quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace around him. Kairi didn't think quite the same, though.

"Hey, watcha doin' up this early, huh?" Sora let out a wry grin, before rubbing his head.

"Uh… taking a morning stroll?" he offered. Kairi giggled, and she placed a hand on her hip. It was then that Sora noticed her attire: a blue plaid skirt, white shirt and tie, and the mandatory black shoes. Her school uniform.

"You going to school?" he asked dumbly. Kairi's grin only grew wider, and he fought down a blush.

"Where'd you think, silly?" She tilted her head then, and smile faded a bit – just a bit, only because Sora saw the small twitch of her lips. She asked, "Will you be coming, too?"

At this, he shook his head no. He wasn't ready, not yet. And neither was Riku, from what his friend had told him.

"Not yet," he said quickly, when he caught her crestfallen expression. "I just… me and Riku just need some time to adjust, okay? We'll be there, eventually."

"I miss you, guys, though," said Kairi softly, and Sora resisted the urge to reach out and stroke her hair. As much he loved her, he wasn't ready to say it, not yet. Time was something he really needed right now.

"You know," she continued, and Sora almost jumped at her voice, "this whole year has been something else." She shifted slightly, to look over the horizon, and Sora saw what she was looking at: the islet. He watched her, as she rubbed her arm absent-mindedly, and briefly Sora wondered if she was cold. He bit back the thought.

"It felt… like I was I missing something… I couldn't remember what… or who, really. I just knew something was gone, and I missed it. Even though I could kind of remember Riku… he felt like a memory more than anything else. Like he'd moved away a long time ago, but I remembered that I used to play with him. It was you drove my memory, though… I just… couldn't remember you, but I could… feel you, you know?"

His heart skipped.

Kairi turned around, and smiled at him. "All year, I waited, for you guys to come back, and now that you're here, I don't want to be away from you."

"Kai…" He swallowed. What was he supposed to say? How could he ever explain…? "We'll be with you, we promise. Look, we'll meet you after school, okay? This time, we'll be waiting."

She threw her arms around him again, and he held her close, for a brief moment. "Thank you," she said. "I'll see after school, then?"

Sora nodded his response, and she left him behind, heading for the school's gates. He stood there, watching her, as she made her way up the path, and finally join up with Selphie, who was waiting for her at the other end. When Kairi had turned around to look at him, Selphie had spotted him as well, and together they both waved their temporary goodbyes.

And Sora watched on, transfixed by the life that had escaped him, the life he had once lived.

* * *

"So, is there anything new on?" Sora asked, as he lay sprawled out over the couch, hands resting behind his head.

There was a humourless laugh, before, "No, not really, just a few reality shows here and there, a few more soaps for Selphie… oh, did I mention that they've added eight new channels?"

Sora looked up from his headrest to send his best friend a surprised look. "_Eight_? Do people really watch that much TV now?" Sora laughed to himself. "It's only been a year."

The platinum-haired teen sitting across from gave him a wry smile. "I know. Weird, huh? Everytime I turn on the TV, I can't get over it."

Sora rested his head back down, his eyes resting briefly on Riku, before settling on the whirring television set. He'd learned that Riku had had the same response from his parents when he'd arrived… like he'd just been away for two months, and his parents were expecting his return. Well… as Sora reflected, it was not like the embrace he'd received from his own mom. There was only an exchange of words, small smiles and mutters of _"Welcome home"._ But then, what was Riku to expect? His relationship had always been like that with his parents, and a mysterious, magical disappearance of one year didn't seem to faze them.

Sora's mom, though, had given Riku the welcome he deserved. It would explain why Riku was over at Sora's now.

"Hey, I'm going to get a drink. Want anything?" Riku asked, as he got up from the floor.

"Sure." The height of Riku never ceased to amaze Sora – in fact, all their other friends had been surprised by Riku's change, too. Their blond friend Tidus had edged away from Riku, thinking that the teen would deck him if Tidus made him angry. Not that Riku was buff – just intimidatingly tall. With a death grip, too, if Sora had ever seen one.

Speaking of strength…

Upon Riku's return, something stirred in Sora's mind, revelations of a question that had been rolling through his mind for the past several nights. He looked over at the lean boy who was now sitting against the solo armchair, drink in hand.

"Hey, Riku?" Aquamarine eyes shifted to look at him, and Sora could barely make out the glints from them through his silver fringe.

"Yeah?" he replied, popping the tab open.

"Have you… have you ever tried summoning the blade since?"

Riku paused in his drink, before swallowing and pulling the drink away from his lips. Sora waited.

"Yeah… I did. Once, a few nights ago. Have you?"

Sora shook his head.

"How come?"

"It seemed… surreal at the time. Like I'd just awakened from a dream, and for a few days, I didn't think I _could_ summon it."

"… and now?"

Sora paused, and looked down at his drink. His mind was blank, save for one thought floating through: _could I do it?_ He looked up at his best friend then, and watched as he tilted his head slightly in thought.

"Sora?"

Instead of responding, he chose to stand. The chestnut-haired teen walked over to the edge of the table, into the open space between it and the patio door, and stood facing him.

He held out his hand in front of him.

A flash of a silver key embedded itself in his mind, before suddenly Sora was immersed in the image. He could feel it, in his mind, and the thought coursed through his vains, into his arm, reaching for his hand.

And with a burst of brilliant white-golden light, it appeared, warm in his hand, as if he'd never put it away. The sparkles faded around it, disappearing into the air.

What surprised Sora next was the flash of blue light, and he looked up to see black clouds drifting around his best friend's hands; so dark, that colour and light around it seemed to be soaked up. When it cleared away in its haze, Sora saw the other Keyblade resting safely in its owner's hands.

The Kingdom Key and Way to Dawn.

Sora looked up, and locked gazes with Riku, and he seemed to nod to Sora's thoughts.

This confirmed everything. Of course it wasn't a dream… not at all…

"They can come back," Sora finally whispered. The dread he'd been feeling the past few days was accumulating now, and he almost wished that he'd never summoned the thing.

It was all true. It –

"– Could happen all over again," Riku finished his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes in thought. "Was this what was worrying you?" Sora slumped his shoulders, after dismissing the Kingdom Key.

"Kind of… I just… kept wondering if it was all over, you know? But it looks as if…"

"… they still need us. To protect."

"Yeah."

Sora wasn't sure how to feel about this. He was home; he was with his friends and family, and he wanted to see it all safe. He wanted to see all the other worlds safe, too – there were friends there, after all.

It seemed to Sora and Riku, that as long as the Keyblades existed, there would always be trouble, and there would always be a need for heroes. A need for _them._

Riku sat comfortably back down on the couch, after dismissing his blade as well. He glanced up at Sora, once, before settling his feet on the table in front of him, staring at the screen.

Sora didn't miss it; the adventure in his best friend's eyes. The appearance of the Keyblade only affirmed Riku's freedom – that he was still able to move from place to place, no longer trapped, no longer static in one place. He could leave at will, and Sora would follow, as a fellow companion and protector, because they had the same job to do; the same goal to reach. He wouldn't leave Riku to be on his own – not again.

He made his way back to the couch, too, and he stared at the box in front of them, not really paying attention to it. His mind was elsewhere, on the friends and family he'd have to leave behind again, if ever summoned by the King.

And it wasn't a second later, until a flurry of auburn hair danced into his mind's vision, and there was no stopping the rock that pushed its way into his throat.

* * *

"Remember this one, Sora?"

Tugged out of his thoughts, he looked over at the redhead sitting beside him. They were sitting on the sands of the beach across from the islet, on top of a blanket Kairi had brought along. Riku was over sitting by the water's edge on a single log, fishing.

The sand before Sora was strewn with sea shells, of all different shapes and colours. Some of them he recalled from earlier years, when Kairi had first started collecting seashells – it were the new ones that she was taking him through.

He didn't mind of course, he'd always loved listening to the sound of her voice. It was calm and quiet, like the winds that brushed over ocean waters in the setting sun. Especially when she was lost in thought, the way her eyes would soften, and a small smile would play over her lips, as if she were thinking of a secret.

Quite like now.

She played with the shell in her hands, and Sora stared at it, transfixed, trying to remember where Kairi had picked this one up.

"It was from that little hermit crab, remember? The one that bit me?"

"Oh yeah… I remember. I forgot you held onto this one – Riku had wanted you to throw it away, right?"

Kairi smiled, and nodded at the memory. It was true; a way while back, almost four years ago, they'd been trekking the shoreline. Kairi, as usual, had been on the lookout for shells, while Riku and Sora would have a contest of skipping rocks. It was Kairi's cry that had caught their attention – apparently, while trying to pick up a rather large shell, Kairi's finger had slipped inside of it, and the owner of the shell wasn't very happy at the intrusion. It'd snapped at her finger, turning it blue and purple within seconds over Kairi's tears. She had to be taken to a clinic nearby to get out checked out, while Sora and Riku blamed themselves for not looking after her. She wasn't too familiar with the beaches around here, and had found the seashells fascinating. She still did.

She put it down now, back into the box she'd brought along with her. Sora was almost awed by the fact that she had kept it – a reminder of something that had hurt her so long ago. Riku, on the 

otherhand, hadn't been impressed – he was going to throw it out himself. Kairi had managed to stop him, but even today, he was a bit wary of her hunting seashells.

"Find anything interesting while we're gone?" Sora asked, picking up a few shells. Some of them had holes pierced into them, to be used as beads.

"Just some multi-coloured ones, and a weird one that shone like a rock. None that bit me, though," she laughed, as she started to put away her shells. Sora gave her a wry smile.

"That's good. Glad to hear that you took care of yourself," he said.

She smacked his arm playfully. "Oh come _on_, I don't need you and Riku babysitting me." Sora smiled.

"You're right. You proved that while we were away, right?" She gave him a triumphant smile in return, and flipped out her hair.

"I try."

Sora laughed. "I know you do."

"Hey, can I get some help over here?"

Sora and Kairi looked up to see Riku slightly struggling with the fish he'd caught with his stick. Sora jumped up, and raced over to help; Kairi following quickly behind.

The platinum-haired teen looked over at Sora, and raised an eyebrow. "About _time_. Come on, I need to grab hold of the pole."

"You mean 'stick'," Sora pointed out. It was, indeed, a stick with a string tied to the end. How Riku had managed to catch anything with this was beyond him.

"No, _pole_," Riku countered, as he moved further into the water. "It did its job, didn't it?" Sora only rolled his eyes playfully, and Kairi rested a hand on her hip.

"So, come on, let's see what you got!" Riku tugged at the string carefully, pulling it upwards as a fish flopped around at the end. When Sora finally saw it, he had to fight back a laugh.

It was _tiny_. He bit his lip. After two hours of sitting around, this was all he caught?

Piercing aqua eyes flashed against his own, and Sora straightened up.

"Got a problem with my fish?" the older teen challenged.

"It's so _small_, Riku!" Kairi burst out, and she held out a hand over mouth. Even Sora couldn't hold it in, and he doubled over, resting his hands on his knees, his face reflected in the water.

"Nice catch, Riku!"

"Oh, shut up, the both of you. I'd like to see you do better." Sora straightened up, and after taking a deep breath, he shook out his hair.

"Maybe next time, man. It's already getting late." Even as he said these words, the sun was disappearing over the water's edge. "No doubt I'll catch one, but I'll serve it for supper, too!"

"You're on," said Riku, and Sora didn't miss the glitter in his eyes, as the older teen playfully swiped at his head. The old-standing rivalry was still there between them, but it was for fun now, if not for anything else. Their bets and challenges had always kept the days lively.

"Come on, you two. Let's get home." Kairi wound her arms through Sora's on one side, and Riku's on the other, and she started to lead them back to the path towards home. Riku had decided to let this fish go – not that Sora was surprised, as his mouth quivered.

"We should go out to eat, tomorrow, there's this _great_ new café that you'll guys just absolutely love, 'cause the food's _that_ great, you know. And then we'll head over to the new shop, just across from it, and we'll buy…"

As she talked, a memory flashed before his eyes, and he saw the drawing… the drawing in chalk of two faces… _their _faces… it'd meant so much to him when he'd first laid eyes on that completed picture…

Sora tuned out of her words, for a moment, and they blurred in his ears. They only thing he could hear was the sound of her voice, and for him, that was enough for now. It was how her skin was brushing against his, that made his thoughts come to a halt.

Her arm still linked through his, she talked animatedly, and he couldn't help but watch as her eyes brightened with the thought of spending more time with them, of telling them all the different things that had happened to her over the year.

It always sent a rushing tingle through his spine, prickling his skin, everytime he realized that Kairi was sharing this with _him_, all the details of her life, because she thought something special of him, of no one else, unless perhaps Riku. Other than that, a degree of her trust lay within him, and just for that, he wanted to give her the world.

It took him a moment to realize, just then, how deeply he'd fallen for her.

His heart raced. He wondered briefly, for a second, for a moment, if she felt the same way as he did, because if she did –

_No, stop it._

When he realized what he was thinking, he told himself, _I _can't_ do this. It would never work out; she's my best friend._

His best friend. One of, for that matter, but it made all the difference in the world.

Something else flashed through his mind, then: the letter. The letter they'd received mere days after their arrival. It was nothing more than well-wishings, and final goodbyes of until they met again, but still – in the back of his mind the notion lingered.

He wasn't going to ask her – he never would.

* * *

Heartbeats.

They pounded all around him; rhythms found in people and places, but not more so than in the hearts of the worlds; one clocked into the next, beating in time with the very pulse of the universe.

It was this heartbeat Sora was the most in tune with now, after months of traversing the universe, jumping from world to world, it was the only thing he _could_ keep in tune with. He needed to be a part of the worlds if he was going to save them.

The door in front of him pulsed with the same rhythm now, and he could feel it calling to him, and it was all he could do to fight the mad urge to tug on its doorknob.

Not that pulling on its doorknob _would_ open the door, of course.

He looked away then, ignoring the door, and decided to take in the walls around him, chalked memories of a life he felt lived so long ago. The place was still the same, the rocks in the same place, the moss covering the same spots – nothing changed. The memory of that day was clear, and as fresh in his mind, as the day it had happened, and he half-expected to the hear _his_ voice all over again.

It was here, where it all began.

This place, this Secret Place had always been special, hidden so well behind bushes, but he always knew it wasn't secret. The evidence on the stone walls was proof enough, and it wasn't something he minded. When he glanced around, he noticed there were no new add-ons to the collection since he was last here, and so, he realized that his friends had grown up a little, too.

Except for one – one picture that'd caught his attention, and even more forcibly so, as he was on the lookout for it, since he last entered the cave.

The add-on of Kairi's little drawing was still there. She'd drawn the reciprocating legendary fruit, and seeing it now, it confirmed everything he'd been thinking over the past few weeks.

She liked him, she _really_ did, and the feeling both embraced and pierced his heart at the same time.

He didn't know what to do.

He closed his eyes then, and he felt suspended in air, caught between the realms of waking and sleep, of dreams and reality, that he wasn't sure where he was for a moment. He could feel it whispering, though, in the back of his mind, tickling his senses.

Sora was in the place where he'd hidden his heart from Kairi, in a secret picture that he'd never really expected her to find again; he was in the place where he'd lost her the first time.

He was staring at their drawing so attentively, the concentration reined into a single focal point, that he didn't hear the nimble footsteps behind him.

The Secret Place… had he always been meant to find it?

"Sora?"

He started. When he whipped around, his blue eyes were met with another pair, the colour so much like his own. But then, sometimes he forgot that the ocean reflected the colour of the sky.

Her auburn-red hair fell in strands around her face; the stone dust in the cave reflected off her pale skin, and gave her an ethereal glow. It made her smile a beacon in the cave, and never had Sora welcomed such a sight, such a feeling.

"Kai… what are you doing here?"

"I was wondering where you were." His brows barely furrowed, and he asked with a slight smile,

"Isn't it getting to be a bit late out? Shouldn't you be home?"

He watched as Kairi rested both her hands on either side of her hip. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?"

He turned away with a smile, not fazed at all by her reaction, and Kairi followed. She made her way quietly to the side of the cave he was on, and found a flat piece of cave rock to sit on. When Sora didn't say anything, she leaned forwards, placing her elbow on her knee as she rested one of cheeks in her hand.

"You've been really quiet lately. Something wrong?" He quickly shook his head in response.

"Nothing's wrong – really. Don't worry about it."

"But I _am_ worrying… I've talked to Riku, and he won't tell me anything… I don't even think _he_ knows, really…" Her voice trailed off, and her eyes lingered, hanging on to him for a second before she pulled them away.

"I've… just been thinking about stuff… you know, of what's happened…"

Kairi sighed amiably. "Nothing's wrong, Sora. We're okay – you guys beat him, right? And we're all home. There's nothing to be worrying about –"

"I'm not worrying," he interjected. "Just… _thinking_, that's all."

"About what?"

"Everything," he answered, and it was the truth. He didn't know where one thought started, or when the next ended – it was all interconnected.

"Tell me," she said, and once again, his heart skipped. He could feel his heart rising to his throat, his muscles twitching, and he almost accepted her invitation, but he hesitated.

It was so like Kairi, to sit and listen, and ask for people to share their problems. It was something he'd always liked about her – growing up, he'd done most of the talking, but every once in a while, in those moments when he couldn't find his words, it was Kairi who would still sit with the listening ear.

And it wasn't for him, either. She'd done that with everyone – when everyone else was usually playing ball, or fishing, or building another fort, she'd sit there quietly at times, and when someone needed her, she was there. She had an admirable amount of patience – something he himself lacked, and the best part about her was that she had enough to share.

It was then that he closed his mouth. He would not tell her, not yet, anyways. For some reason, it felt like a… burden he had to carry alone, thoughts he needed to sort out by himself.

Or maybe, he just didn't want to weigh down Kairi with his heavy thoughts.

"It's okay, Kai," he found himself, saying, and winced inside. He caught the slight fall in her expression, a kind of… disappointment. Like he'd let her down or something.

The guilt seized him then. What if he let her down in the future? What if… he became worse than this, stuck as some wandering fool, always chased with his questions because he _thought_ too much? (He could almost see Riku's smirk with _that_ statement…) But… what if things just didn't work out?

How could he let her down then? The expression he'd just witnessed was hurtful enough; he'd only wondered what would happen if he ever, _truly_ let her down. He didn't think he'd be able to live with the guilt.

"Sora…?"

His smile was crooked, and inside, he knew it was sad. He didn't like this feeling, but what other choice did he have?

"I'll come soon, okay?" he found himself saying, the words piercing his tongue. "I'll just be a few minutes."

There was a breath of pause, a moment where wrought silence hung in the air, and Sora almost wondered if she'd already left. But when he heard the light shuffling behind him, the slight ruffle of clothes and fading footsteps a second later, he knew he'd been watched carefully.

He couldn't hurt her. He wouldn't bring her along if there was another journey, only because he wanted to see her safe. He wouldn't let her return his feelings, because he couldn't bear leaving her with half-promises of coming back soon – he'd disappeared for a year, after all, didn't he?

She meant too much to him. Too much. The way she'd always been there, watching and waiting for him; the way she'd always laugh at his stupid jokes when no one else did… the way she did _every_thing, made his insides clench for her. But he couldn't do it.

She was his best friend.

And because she was one of his best friends, and because he couldn't hurt her, he watched her walk away.

Because he loved her, he let her go.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, so I'm not really sure how to feel about this one. It was really hard to do… this whole canon-anti-sokai-kind-of-thing, and at times gave me quite the headache.

Well, my head definitely feels woozy with all this reflection drabble stuff… not something I'm used to, nor do I really prefer writing. I just figured I should give it a couple of tries, and as far as I'm concerned, you guys won't be seeing another reflection piece from me for a _while_.

Bah, it's time to go back to some stupid humour and romance – on to chapter 11 with LiD! xD

I do hope this was all right, though, and the only way I'll know is if you review with your feedback! Please and thank you!


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